‘I personally think there’s a case for Britain, on humanitarian grounds, to participate in deterrent action to stop the further use of these abhorrent and illegal weapons. But Parliament didn’t agree,’ the Liberal Democrat leader said.

‘We’re not going to keep asking the same question of Parliament again and again. We live in a democracy, the executive cannot act in a way which clearly is not welcome to Parliament or the British people, so we’re not proposing to do so.’

The development comes as a BBC poll said 71 per cent of people agreed with Parliament blocking military action.